


Things That Make It Warm

by elizathecat



Series: Thor n Bruce snuggle time [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Autistic Bruce Banner, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Pressure Stimming, Self-Esteem Issues, autistic thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizathecat/pseuds/elizathecat
Summary: When Thor has to go on a trip to Asgard, Bruce sleeps badly because he doesn't have his bf there to help him pressure stim. Thor finds (makes) a solution. They cuddle.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor
Series: Thor n Bruce snuggle time [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1499300
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	Things That Make It Warm

**Author's Note:**

> If you've read any of my other fics you know the drill, this has barely any relation to canon because frankly, I don't care and I just want snuggles (:

This is his favourite place in the world (and he’s been to a lot). It’s dark outside, and raining, and he has nothing to do except lay in bed with his boyfriend and their frankly ridiculous number of pillows. Thor is lying flat out on top of him, propping himself up on his elbows just enough to keep a little of his weight off Bruce’s chest.

“I wish we could just stay like this forever.” Bruce mumbles into Thor’s shoulder, too comfortable to even think about moving enough to be heard properly.

“So do I, love,” Thor’s voice is equally as muffled, his face buried in one of the many cushions making up their nest, “but unfortunately you’re a brilliant scientist and I have space king duties to attend to next week.”

“Really?”

“Sorry. I only found out earlier.”

Bruce sighs heavily, only partly being overdramatic. “I guess I’ll cope, but how am I supposed to sleep without my weighted blanket?” He pushes gently against Thor’s shoulder, just enough to feel how truly pinned he is.

“Is that really all you see me as?” Thor sounds just scandalised enough Bruce knows he’s only pretending to be hurt.

“Yeah I only keep you around because you’re bigger than me.”

Thor huffs, shifting to let more of his weight rest on Bruce, who just groans in delight and, impossibly, goes even more boneless. “You know you could just buy one?”

Bruce frees his arms and squeezes Thor fiercely. “No. You’re better. And-” he cuts off with a gasp as Thor squirms above him, giggling delightedly into the pillow he’s still buried in, “-oh my God you’re such a puppy. Anyway, they’re too expensive.”

Thor pushes himself up on his elbows, making sure Bruce gets the full force of his sarcastically raised eyebrow. “You are employed by Stark Industries, a company notorious for their generous salaries, a close personal friend of Tony Stark, who would buy you a roomful of weighted blankets if you should ask, and the boyfriend of a king and god.”

Bruce looks at a crack in the paint on the ceiling, feeling as if he could cry from the clear affection shining from Thor’s earnest face. “Yeah but…it’s not necessary, there’s better things to do with money than buying me another blanket.”

“You’re wrong, but I want to get back to cuddling you now,” Thor flops back down, nuzzling his face into Bruce’s hair until he laughs and nudges him away.

Bruce sighs, turning his nose into the hollow of Thor’s neck and leaving a tiny kiss on his skin. He’s perfectly squashed between the cushy mattress, sinking under his weight, moulding around his ribs, his hips; and Thor, solid above him, arms squeezing Bruce’s shoulders. He snakes his arms around Thor’s waist and squeezes, trying to return the feeling, and subtly running his hands over the soft cables of Thor’s messily knit jumper at the same time. This is good enough for him.

He waves Thor off a week later, already looking forward to his return. This was going to suck.

It’s funny, how you think you appreciate the things you have but realise you’d still been taking them for granted when they’re not there, Bruce muses on the tenth day of Thor’s absence. He’d never had complaint about his quality of sleep before, even during the long years he’d been sleeping in questionable places, but he’d been spoiled, grown used to the luxury of having a partner to hold him tight, and he was definitely feeling the loss. He yawns, preparing a second cup of coffee, willing to trade an increased heart rate and the anxiety that came with it for more alertness. Three more days and he could have a really good nap.

_I make Banner sleepy._

“No.” he says firmly, glaring into his coffee. He does not need the Hulk to wear him out like a toddler thank you very much. He can feel the Hulk’s amusement as he pours the coffee down the sink just in case.

Bruce is making soup a few days later when Thor stumbles through the front door, carrying significantly more luggage than he left with. He shrugs mentally as Thor only stops to wave, scurrying off to put it all goodness knows where. He always comes back from Asgard laden like a pack mule, something to do with various advisors believing their King needed extra provisions to survive the barren wasteland that was Midgard. He stirs the soup – nearly done – and turns the heat down so it’ll stay warm. 

Thor pokes his head around the corner. “What is it you Midgardians say? Honey I’m home?”

“I did notice,” Bruce teases as Thor plasters himself to Bruce’s back, arms curling around his waist, “you were pretty obvious crashing through the door like that.”

Thor nuzzles his nose into Bruce’s neck and grumbles. “I was trying to be cute.”

“You’re always cute. Soup?”

“Mmm smells good. Do you want it blended?”

“Please.” Bruce slips out of the room, deciding to round up the coffee mugs he’s left everywhere while he waits.

“Do you want to come and season this?” Thor calls once the blender noises stop.

“So what did they send you with this time?” Bruce asks as he gets back to the kitchen, putting his slightly ridiculous number of mugs in the sink.

Thor whirls round with a spoonful of soup in his mouth, wide-eyed. “Nothing! Uh, that is…nothing unusual? Just cloth…clothes I mean! I’ll go and donate them soon.”

Bruce blinks. “Right.”

“And your soup is good, I like it.”

“Needs more salt though I bet?”

Thor shrugs, notoriously unhelpful in the kitchen, handing a spoon to Bruce and getting out of his way.

Thor is secretive for a little while after that, steering Bruce away from one of their cupboards, dashing about and hurriedly hiding things when Bruce gets back from the lab. Bruce has heard him swearing several times while shut in different rooms doing whatever it is. He seems happy enough though, so Bruce lets him get on with it, as confident as he can be that Thor’s not isolating himself for any concerning reason.

One evening, as Bruce is putting on what he (secretly) refers to as his cuddle pyjamas, Thor dashes from the room with a muttered “back in a minute!” He returns as Bruce is burrowing himself into the pillow nest on their bed, holding a gift bag which is clearly struggling to contain whatever’s inside it.

“For you,” he says, holding it out to Bruce before placing it on the bed next to him when it becomes clear Bruce is too surprised to take it, “I…I hope you like it. And there was no money involved so don’t worry about that!”

It’s definitely not his birthday, or Christmas, or any other reason he can think of for gift giving. The paper bursts as Bruce pulls the package out of the bag, a mass of cloth flopping out onto his lap. He squeaks gently in the back of his throat looking at the rich dark blue fabric, shot through with silver thread forming constellations and pinpoint stars. It’s heavy on his lap, pinning his legs to the bed and he can feel the heft of it as he lifts one edge to get a better look. The beads inside the little squares rustle as it shifts and he drops it again, immediately patting it where it lays over his thighs and bouncing happily. He only realises he’s squeaking again when he hears Thor chuckle. “I- sorry, thank you, did you make this?”

Thor is still smiling fondly as he nods, eyes crinkled, hands pressed to his chest. “Don’t apologise love, it’s nice to see you like it.”

Bruce nods fervently, still patting the blanket, soft fabric and beads moving against his legs. One hand flaps momentarily before returning to the blanket and he smiles so wide he worries briefly his face might break. “Thank you. Again. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“Nnnnnnyeah I did. You deserve nice things. No,” he cuts Bruce off before he says anything, “you do, I know you find it hard to believe but I think you do and since I was the one who learned to sew I think that makes me right.”

“That’s…not a proper reason, you at least need to link the points of your argument to logically prove cause and effect-”

Thor throws himself onto the bed, making Bruce bounce midsentence and wiggles his shoulders into the cushion pile. He holds his arms out and puts on his best puppy face. “Snuggle me under the weighted blanket I spent days making?”

“…Fine. You win.”

“Oh and turn off the lights first.”

Bruce dumps the blanket directly on top of Thor. “Couldn’t you have done that before flinging yourself on the bed?”

“No,” Thor grins wickedly and winks, “I like the view too much.”

Bruce flicks the light off quickly, self-consciously running his hands down his holey t-shirt, the softest thing he owns which is still comfortable to wear when in contact with his space heater of a boyfriend. When he turns back to Thor there’s a warm glow lighting his face, the speckled stars on the blanket shining in the darkness. He dives back on the bed to examine them.

“Asgardian technology,” Thor starts explaining before he asks, “doesn’t need to be charged up with light or whatever nonsense your glow in the dark stuff here needs,” he shuffles his feet a little before continuing, “and I thought it’s a nicer light than the lamp, I know that hurts your eyes when you wake up in the dark.”

“Thank you,” Bruce croaks, and flops over to bury his face in Thor’s stomach, unable to express how lucky he feels to have Thor pay such careful attention to him, the gratitude filling his chest so strongly he thinks he might burst with it. Thor’s hands come up to carefully brush through his hair and he sniffles, pretending there aren’t a few tears leaking into Thor’s shirt.

“Come on love, let’s get under the blanket, try it out hmm?”

They shuffle around for a few minutes, trying to lift the heavy blanket into place while staying snuggled into the pile of cushions. Eventually Thor gives in and sits up while Bruce giggles, spreading it out with practised motions. He pulls the blanket up over them as he lies back down again, and Bruce is cocooned, soft pillows cradling him, the warmth and heavy weight of Thor on one side and the blanket covering the other. He rolls into Thor’s side, burying his face in his shoulder, and the blanket moves with him, its soft fabric pressing into his skin, holding his limbs in place. He’s perfectly enveloped, shielded from the outside world in a nest of soft things.

Thor _made_ this. It hits him suddenly, the knowledge that he’s this comfortable, safe, cared for, because Thor wanted him to be. He nuzzles into his shoulder, squeezing his arms around his middle and Thor sighs happily, squeezing back. He feels like he’s floating, weightless in a sea of soft plump pillows. The pressure of the blanket is perfect; uniformly heavy along his whole body, sinking into him and relaxing his tense muscles, his racing mind, even as his skin buzzes with pleasure. Thor is relaxed next to him, clearly enjoying the weight and pressure just as much, his free hand patting the blanket, the beads rustling gently. Bruce revels in the rhythmic sound, all his senses perfectly happy.

His eyes flutter shut and he hums gently, savouring the pocket of warmth around him, drifting off to sleep with Thor among the glow of the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to come say hi on tumblr @eliza-the-cat if you want more snuggles and shenanigans :D


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